A Sydney general practitioner leads efforts to repatriate Australian women and children from a Syrian refugee camp, pointing to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government as the primary barrier.
Dr. Jamal Rifi’s Mission in Syria
Dr. Jamal Rifi, a GP based in western Sydney, travels to the Middle East to facilitate the exit of 34 women and children from the Roj refugee camp in northeastern Syria. In his first public comments amid the controversy, he expresses no regrets about the initiative.
“I’d do it 1000 times,” Dr. Rifi states. He emphasizes following proper protocols, including coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross. However, he identifies the lack of Australian government support as the key impediment.
“The only obstacle was we didn’t have anything from the Australian government,” Dr. Rifi explains. “We’re making some inroads, but the biggest obstacle is the prime minister’s statements. The Syrian side is asking if he doesn’t want them, we don’t have anything from them, why should we help them?”
Concerns Over Stranded Families
The women and children worry about potential stranding in a transit country due to negative public statements from Australia. “They were concerned the stopover country might not let them in because of all the negative statements that were happening in Australia,” Dr. Rifi notes. “They didn’t want them to get stuck forever.”
The group possesses Australian passports, as confirmed by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. Despite a prior attempt to depart the camp, they returned due to paperwork issues. Dr. Rifi also carries a passport for 23-year-old Yusuf Zahab, taken to Syria as a child by his parents and now reportedly detained in an adult prison, possibly in Iraq. Efforts to locate him prove unsuccessful.
“Children shouldn’t suffer from the sins of fathers or mothers, and Australian children shouldn’t live in such an environment for any length of time,” Dr. Rifi asserts. “And they’ve been there seven years.”
Prime Minister Albanese’s Stance
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese firmly rejects government assistance for repatriation. “We have a very firm view that we won’t be providing assistance or repatriation,” he declares. “We want to make it clear, as we have to the people involved, if there are any breaches of the law then they will face the full force of the Australian law.”
Albanese invokes a personal adage: “My mother would have said, ‘If you make your bed, you lie in it.’ These are people who went overseas and went there to provide support for people who basically want a caliphate.”
He reiterates the position, stating no changes: “Our position hasn’t changed, which is [that] we’re not assisting them or providing repatriation of them. If they were to be able to make their own way to Australia, then we would implement the full force of the law as well if there have been any breaches of Australian law.”
Dr. Rifi laments the absence of any official endorsement: “If we had a piece of paper from the government they would have been home by now. But there has been no support, no paper, no phone calls. Nothing.”
Affected Individuals
The women seeking return include Nesrine Zahab, her aunt Aminah Zahab, cousin Sumaya Zahab, Kawsar Abbas with daughters Zeinab and Zahra Ahmed, Janai Safar, Hodan Abby, Kawsar Kanj, and Hyam Raad.
